GLOBAL gaming entrepreneurs the Oliver twins returned to their old college in Trowbridge to inspire the next generation of gamers.

Philip and Andrew Oliver, former students at Wiltshire College and Clarendon School, returned to their old stomping grounds to give a presentation to games development, media and IT students from both the Trowbridge and Chippenham campuses followed by a question and answer session.

The brothers started developing computer games at the age of 12 from their bedroom.

They caught their first big break when they won a national TV competition for their game Black Box and Gambit in 1983 and they are most well-known for their Dizzy game franchise which they have rebooted in their latest online game SkySaga.

“It’s great to go back but it reminds you of how old you are,” Mr Oliver joked. “It brings back really good memories and the students were really enthusiastic in asking questions.”

During the question and answer session, Mr Oliver said he was amazed with the questions the students had and tried to offer them the best advice he could.

“Coming back and being able to talk to the students is a big inspiration for them. They can read about where people started out but it is always distant from their lives,” he added. “We had the advantage of coming back to share with them that we grew up in Trowbridge and how we’ve got to where we are today.”

The duo, who now live in Leamington Spa while their parents still live in the town, have worked on multi-million pound games for corporations such as Dreamworks, MGM and Aardman.

Media student Callum Glen, 18, said: “The presentation was really great, very motivational and it definitely made me think that pursuing a career in games in the way forward for me.

“I have played nearly all of the games that they created or have worked on so it was really nice to learn about them and know that they came here.”

The brothers are now focussing their efforts on their web-based Radiant Worlds site which focuses on their online game SkySaga.

Frazer McLeod, games development lecturer said the experience was invaluable for the students and was the perfect way to round up their final term of the summer.